KUALA LUMPUR: AS police upped their ante in tracking down those behind the theft of more than RM3 million from automated teller machines (ATM), they discovered almost simultaneously yesterday that the gang behind the spree had struck again.
This time, they grabbed more than RM90,000.
The latest hit, the 17th case in a span of four days, was reported about 2pm, just when Bukit Aman federal police headquarters renamed their operation to track down the syndicate from “Op Godam” to “Op Albatross”.
The latest case, which brings the amount of losses suffered by banks to more than RM3 million, came amid revelations by Symantec Corporation, an anti-virus software maker, that it had in May issued a global alert warning to corporations about the dangers posed by the ATM Trojan virus, allegedly the same one the robbers banked on for their gain.
Triggered by a series of ATM thefts reported worldwide, the anti-virus software maker issued a global warning last May on the notorious computer virus known as “ulssm.exe”.
It is understood that banks in Malaysia were red-flagged on this ATM malware around the same time.
Symantec, in its website, said “ulssm.exe”, also known as a “Backdoor.Padpin” is a type of Trojan virus that targeted ATMs.
Police believe that the same syndicate, a Latin American gang, was behind all the cases.
They have since Saturday hit ATMs in Petaling Jaya, Serdang, Kajang, Shah Alam, Klang, Johor and Malacca. The one they hacked into yesterday was in Jalan Imbi here.
According to a source, the gang targeted NCR 5877 model ATMs which runs on software considered to be outdated.
“This model lacks security features compared with newer ones.
“The gang struck only NCR 5877 model ATMs of the because of the absence of an alarm system on its upper panel.
“These type of ATMS were also targeted because they use the Windows XP or Windows 7 operating system, which have not been updated for more than 12 years,” he said.
Symantec had cautioned how the virus would self-destruct if it failed to gain control of the ATM’s keypad and cash dispenser, avoiding raising alarms.
The virus could also temporarily disable local networks to avoid triggering the bank’s alarm system, which could happen when attempts for unlawful withdrawals were made.
The suspects, aged between 20 and 30 and between 175cm and 180cm in height, took no more than 20 minutes to empty out cash from the machines.
In Malacca, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said banks had been advised to replace ATMs that were susceptible to hacking with those that were more virus-resilient.
He allayed public concern, saying that the country’s cyber-security system remained safe and protected as the modus operandi used by the syndicate was via remote.